Robotic surgical systems have been used in minimally invasive medical procedures. Some robotic surgical systems included a console supporting a robot arm, and at least one end effector such as forceps or a grasping tool that is mounted to the robot arm via a surgical assembly or tool. The end effector was typically affixed to the end of a longitudinal shaft of the tool. During a medical procedure, the longitudinal shaft and the end effector were inserted into a small incision (via a cannula) or a natural orifice of a patient to position the end effector at a work site within a body of a patient.
This shaft had a hollow tube carrying the cables therethrough. The cables were connected to the end effector at the end of the shaft and driven by motors in the robotic system to manipulate the end effector. Bodily fluids tended to flow into the hollow interior of the tube during surgery. These fluids had to be cleaned out prior to use in another surgical procedure. Cleaning and/or sterilizing the hollow interior of the tube was difficult and time-consuming. Indeed, it was not uncommon to find tissue and/or blood remaining within the tube even after an attempt was made to clean and/or sterilize it. Further, routing the cables through the lengthy interior of the tube was time consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need to manipulate end effectors using cables or other force transmitting members in way that it is easier to clean, sterilize, assemble, and service the surgical tools.